LONDON'S LITTLE BIRDS 111 



married bird, making slovenly straw nests under 

 the tiles, and seeking his food in the gutter. 



Many years ago Dr. Gordon Stables said, in 

 an article on the sparrow, that he felt convinced 

 from his own observation of these birds that 

 curious irregularities in their domestic or 

 matrimonial relations were of very frequent 

 occurrence, a fact which the ornithologists had 

 overlooked. Last summer I had proof that such 

 irregularities do occur, but I very much doubt 

 that they are so common as he appears to 

 believe. 



I had one pair of sparrows breeding in a 

 hole under the eaves at the top of the house, 

 quite close to a turret window, from which I 

 look down upon and observe the birds, and on the 

 siU of which I place bread for them. This pair 

 reared brood after brood, from April to No- 

 vember, and so long as they found bread on the 

 window-sill they appeared to feed their young 

 almost exclusively on it, although it is not their 

 natural food ; but there was no green place near 

 where caterpillars might be found, and I dare 

 say the young sparrow has an adaptive stomach. 

 At all events broods of four and five were 

 successively brought out and taught to feed on 



